


How the Name of Serenity Valley Came to Be

by Shaudawn



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: indigenous science fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaudawn/pseuds/Shaudawn
Summary: The original settlers of Hera just called it Serenity Valley and left it at that.  Little do they know that, to some, it has more to it than that.  Maybe they don't care.   For one Cree indigenous clan, it has a deeper meaning, a history, and a lesson.Until the closing chapter in the Unification War, most people in the 'Verse had never heard of Serenity Valley. But, according to Grandmother Beartooth, here are its origins, and, more importantly, its evolving meanings.





	How the Name of Serenity Valley Came to Be

The crackling fire snapped. The lights were turned low so that only the fire's orange-yellow light made the shadows dance like maybe they did once on Earth-That-Was.   The old woman in her shawl started to speak. She spoke in words like cracked earth, older than the planet they were huddled upon. She gestured at Tom and nodded, pointing at his guest. Tom nodded back and whispered her words in the Anglo language. She began her tale.  

> Grandmother says that once, long ago, when all the worlds of the sky were young and there was more space than there were human beings, our band came and spoke to the land. When the _wasi'chu_ People made an official scientific survey, they took one look at the land, and they said, ‘too rough to grow crops’ and none of them would settle there.  

> But we brought our wise women and our old men. We brought the bundle of Earth-That-Was and the sacred fire. And we spoke at length with the land. This land. The one that is here. The one that spoke back to our People. And the Land accepted us. Here at the mouth of the valley, it took us in, just like it was centuries ago when the _moniyaw_ drew a line on our Mother and said we had to choose which place to live. The land that was not ours back then took us in. And so it was that this land that was not ours took us in as orphans. This place had a name. It was called by our People “ _kāmwātan tawatināw_ ” — the Quiet Valley.  

> So the great-grandparents of Grandmother asked for the land, and because they were respected for bringing with them many species of animal embryos that the _wasi'chu moniyaw_ people had forgotten to bring from Earth-That-Was, they gave them a small ranch near the valley’s mouth. And the _wasi'chu_ translated our words as “Serenity Valley.” But that was before _nōtinikēwin_ —the Great Noise—came.

> She says that the _sohkēhtākwan nōtinikēwin_ —the Great Noise—the War came and came from above. And it spread throughout the whole of the valley. And after the noise from above stopped, it continued below in the voices of those left behind. Great crying and wailing. Great dying. And she says that the noise continues. She says she still hears it in the wind that blows. The spirits of all the people who died in this valley continue to make noise. And this is why it is now called _wītaskīwin tawatināw_.

Tom paused, leaving his grandmother's last words untranslated. His face looked a bit pained. He turned to his grandmother, and she looked back at him with expectancy.  

"… grandmother, I don’t know how to translate _wānaskēwin tawatināw_. It sounds just like it could be translated into “Serenity Valley” in Anglo as if there were no word change from _kāmwātan tawatināw_ , _wītaskīwin tawatināw_ , and _wānaskēwin tawatināw_. 

She smiled. Her face matched her words which matched the ground. Cracked earth. Good, dusty, cracked earth. 

> "When our clan came, we called it _kāmwātan tawatināw_ ," she said.

"Serenity Valley," Tom nodded. "Tranquil or peaceful quiet." 

> "When that awful War, the Great Noise, ended, but the soldiers were still waiting... dying... the valley became called _wītaskīwin tawatināw_."

"Serenity Valley," Tom nodded again. "The valley where there was a truce. An alliance. She calls the War _sohkēhtākwan nōtinikēwin_ —a story that is blown out of proportion. It has a loud noise of fighting, war, and assault." 

> "And now, the valley is called _wānaskēwin tawatināw_ ," she nodded definitively.

Tom frowned. He was quiet for a while and looked at the floor. "A valley where one must come to be at peace with oneself." 

Grandmother patted Tom. She allowed him to be quiet for a long time. As long as he needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Serenity Valley (prior to war) kāmwātan tawatināw ᑳᒼᐚᑕᐣ ᑕᐘᑎᓈᐤ “ghÃ'h-m-whÃ'h-duhn duh-whuh-di-nÃ'hwh ” it is tranquil or peacefully quiet + it is a valley; there is a valley
> 
> Serenity Valley (immediate post-war) wītaskīwin tawatināw ᐑᑕᐢᑮᐏᐣ ᑕᐘᑎᓈᐤ “whee-duhs-ghee-whin duh-whuh-di-nÃ'hwh ” peace, truce, alliance + it is a valley; there is a valley
> 
> Serenity Valley (post-war) wānaskēwin tawatināw ᐚᓇᐢᑫᐏᐣ ᑕᐘᑎᓈᐤ “whÃ'h-nuhs-ghay-whin duh-whuh-di-nÃ'hwh ” being at peace with oneself + it is a valley; there is a valley
> 
> The War (the Great Noise) sohkēhtākwan (nōtinikēwin) ᓱᐦᑫᐦᑖᑿᐣ ᓅᑎᓂᑫᐏᐣ “sü-h'-ghay-h'-dÃ'h-ghwuhn nōh-di-ni-ghay-whin ” It is a story blown out of proportion; it has a loud noise + fight; war; assult; warfare


End file.
